Chinese court sentences 27 people for smuggling antimony ingots
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China is the world’s largest producer of antimony, which is used in batteries, chips, flame retardants and the defence sector.
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BEIJING - A Chinese court imposed jail sentences and fines on Dec 16 on 27 people over shipping antimony ingots out of the country without export licences, in a ruling that highlights how China is tightening enforcement of its controls on strategic minerals
China is the world’s largest producer of antimony, which is used in batteries, chips, flame retardants and the defence sector. Beijing added antinomy to its export control list in September 2024.
In November, China said it had suspended a ban
The main defendant, Wang Wubin, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined one million yuan (S$183,000) for smuggling the antimony ingots, the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court said in a statement on its WeChat account.
Wang was found to have conspired with smugglers overseas to organise other defendants to buy antimony ingots and smuggle them out of the country through concealment, disguise and false declaration without the required export licences in February and March 2025, according to the statement.
The penalties for the other 26 defendants include fines and prison sentences ranging from four months to five years, depending on the volumes of the smuggled metal.
The case involved the smuggling of more than 166 tonnes of antimony, of which Chinese customs seized more than 96 tonnes, the court statement said.
In April, the Hong Kong authorities said they seized a cargo of antimony ingots. No arrests were announced at the time.
Reuters exclusively reported in July
